Occurrence
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This metal is a relatively scarce element with an abundance in the Earth's crust of about 2 ppm, compared with 94 ppm for
zinc, 63 ppm for copper, and 12 ppm for lead.
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Tin is commonly found in the mineral cassiterite (SnO2), reduction of this with buring coal results in the metal, and was probably how tin was made by the ancients.
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SnO2 + 2C Sn + 2CO
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Although cassiterite (SnO2) is the only commerically important source of tin small quantities of tin are recovered from complex sulfides such as stannite,
cylindrite, franckeite, canfieldite, and teallite.
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